Not even Jesus knows

Jesus told his disciples that nobody but the father knows the date of
Jesus’ return. This is a problem since Jesus is God. Jesus
limited himself to a human form while here 2000 years ago. He was one
with the father, and still is, and knowledge was not withheld.
The problem was one of significant time distance from the question and
the structure of the answer based on a specific sign. This article
explores.

Background

Many discredit the study of time from the Bible since they think
not even Jesus understands the chronology of the Bible. This, like
other objections, is absurd.

Orthodox Christian belief is that Jesus himself is God.
If he really was denying knowledge of the Father’s plan then he
would not be God. He meant something else.

The following is the offending passage:

41 Matthew 24:30-50 30Then the sign of the son of man will appear in the skies; and then all the generations of the land will mourn, and they will see the son of man coming on the clouds of the skies, with an army and great glory.31And he will send his angels with a large trumpet, and they will gather his chosen ones from the 4 winds, from the ends of the skies.

32Learn a parable from the fig tree. As soon as its branches become tender and bring forth leaves, you know that summer is coming.33So even you, when you see all these things, know that it has arrived at the door.34Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away, until all these things happen.35The skies and land will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

36But concerning that day and that hour, no man knows, not the angels of the skies, but the father alone.37Just as in the days of Noah, so the coming of the son of man will be.38For as the people before the flood were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the dayNoah entered into the ark,39and they knew nothing until the flood came and carried them all away; such will be the coming of the son of man.402 men will be in the field, 1 will be taken and the other left.412 women will be grinding at the handmill, 1 will be taken and the other left.42Therefore be alert for you do not know at what hour your master will come.43But know this much, if the master of the house knew at what watch the thief comes, he would keep awake and not let his house be plundered.44For this reason, you also be ready, for the son of man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.

45Who, then, is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has appointed over his house, to give them food in due time?46Blessed is that servant, when his master comes and finds him doing this.47Truly I say to you, he will appoint him over all that he has.48But if a bad servant should say in his heart, My master will delay his coming,49and he begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with drunkards,50the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect, and at an hour that he does not know.

What Jesus meant

Remember that when this was written it was one long series of upper
case Greek letters. No such things as sentence breaks, punctuation or
even spaces between words.

The offending verse is 36, where Jesus says that only the Father
knows the time of his return. Is this what the entire passage means?
Lets check the context and see what was near in that long unbroken
stream of upper case Greek letters.

Like the Time of Noah

In verse 37 Jesus likens this time to the time of Noah. When the
Bible links to another story as here we are expected to know the
referenced story. We are to read and know all the details about that
other story as we consider the added detail that we are being given.
Jesus used this story to answer the disciple’s question. Jesus was
teaching this: His return will be chronologically like Noah’s
flood.

Though many were eating and drinking, and generally not paying
attention to God and his plan, there were those who understood
exactly what God was up to. God did not keep the impending
destruction on the entire world a total secret.

Who knew about Noah’s flood?

Anyone who knew the Ark was being built. This included those
building it, and anyone who saw it before the rains came.

Noah knew as well as his wife, sons, and their wives. 8 in
all.

If they hired anyone to help build the Ark, then they too
knew about the flood.

If anyone saw the ark under construction then these witnesses
also knew that the end was near.

Noah’s end of the world was not a total secret. Those who were
connected to God, and could hear his word, directly, like Noah, or
indirectly, like his family, did know ahead of time.
1

How early did Noah know?

Noah knew a flood was coming the moment he was told to build an
ark. We are not told when this was. Off Bible, Rabbinic
tradition say it was 120 years.

The project, we presume, was scheduled by God himself, because the
ark was finished when God told Noah a new thing: In 7 days the
flood would come, load up.

At this point Noah and his family knew quite specifically that the
flood was coming. They knew the exact date.

When Jesus says that he does not know the date of his return, and
likens it to Noah’s flood, he is teaching that it will work the same
way at the time of his return.

Until we are close, like the last century or so, it will be
unknown. No one can know. Even Jesus did not know. But, like Noah,
it will become known through a sign. A sign to all who are directly
involved in the construction, and to those who see the construction.
In Noah’s day the sign was Noah’s Ark. What is that sign in our
day?

What Sign did Jesus Give?

Answering the critics does not logically require that we answer
what the sign will be, only that like Noah and his Ark, there will
be a sign. God will not remain silent, if he did he’d risk blood
guilt.

At verse 32 in Matthew’s story Jesus tells his audience just what
the "sign" of this event is going to be. At the end of the age,
before the return of Jesus, the sign will be the "fig tree". This is
simply called the "fig tree sign."

What was that sign? Earlier in Matthew, we are told that Jesus
cursed a fig tree and said that it, the ancient Jewish religious
system, would no longer bear fruit for God. The end-times sign that
Jesus is about to return, with the same sort of duration as Noah’s Ark
project, is the "Fig Tree" people, the Jews, returning to their
homeland. This has now already happened. We are at the time of
Jesus’ return and have been for over 50 years.

How long from the Sign to the Return

How long from the sign to Jesus’ return? Verse 34 gives the
answer. "This generation," the generation seeing the return to Israel
of the Jews, will not entirely pass away before all the things dealing
with the end of the age are complete.

These things most certainly include Jesus’ return, but also
includes every other end times promise, including such things as the
resurrection, the departure from earth, and any other story we can
authenticate as being part of the end-times.

When, exactly, should we start measuring Jewish time?

There are two possible starting dates for measuring this
generation. 1948 with the return of the Jews to Palestine is the
first candidate. The retaking of the Old City of Jerusalem in 1967 is
the other. Without further information we cannot tell which Jesus is
indicating here.

The last generation will last for some number of years, a length of
time given elsewhere in the Bible. Three lengths are possible, 70, 80
or 120 years from the indicated date. Again, without further
information we cannot know which is implied. I don’t list 40 years
since this is never given as a length of a generation. It is the
number of years needed to kill off a generation, like at the Exodus,
but not the total number of years that a generation may live.

I don’t want to answer the specific years here, that is not my
point. The point is that Jesus is teaching that his return will have
a sign, the "fig tree" sign. Once seen, a specific number of years
from that sign will pass and all things planned for the end of the age
at his return will then pass.

So why did He say he did not know?

From God the Father’s perspective time passes slowly. 1000 years
are as a day with God the Father. Only from this perspective should
we think this period in history will pass in one day. Jesus’ point
was this: No man, nor anyone measuring time from man’s perspective,
should think that this period is 1 day long. Jesus’ isn’t just going
to show up one day. This period is much, much longer.

Day-for-a-year repetition says this period is about 13,000 days
long and that interval only covers the prelude. At least another
20 years of prophetic history exist in the pages of the Bible.
No man knows the day or hour since men don’t measure this period
in history as one day.

Lot

Interestingly, Luke places this section far from the end of
the signs of the end of the age, and Luke includes the account
of Lot as being a parallel account to the account of Noah.
There are many parallels between these accounts backed up
with collateral scripture which says these men were patterns for
us, and warnings.

Both Noah and Lot become Alcoholics over the
destruction which they witness in their lives.

Both are warned of the impending disaster.

Both bring family along, to escape the disaster.

Both end up on mountains.

Both end up with some sort of sexual sin involving
family members.

Both are recorded in the list of saints in Hebrews 11.

The timing of the disaster is coupled to their own actions,
actions which involve following direct, divine, orders.

Those around both Noah and Lot receive warning too of
the impending disaster. They do not listen.

All of these, and probably more, are relevant to understanding the
end of the age. Everyone who survives the catastrophic events that
accompany this period in human history must watch to avoid this
list of problems. Heed warnings, don’t get drunk, stay clear of
sexual sin and keep your eyes on the promises of God.

The Holy Spirit appears to have charged his angels with sorting and
moving and rearranging people to be ready for much of what is about to
happen. Many have been given warnings and have not heeded them.
Others will be getting warnings right at the last minute. Still
others will long for the old life, and like Lot’s wife, look back and
die for it.

Like so many other passages usually used to say the dates cannot be
known, we find that here, like the others, that the Holy Spirit has
provided clues right in the very text used to say we cannot know the
time of his return with clues as to when he will return.

Providing concrete answers in a passage generally discredited is so
much like our normal walks with Jesus I can’t stand it. People with
hard hearts, that idolize Christian leaders instead of Jesus, get
caught up thinking the times and dates are not knowable. The Bible
teaches that they are knowable. We are watching the events
surrounding the return of Jesus unfold every few weeks.